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FEO NEWS FOR FALL 2006:
- OCTOBER -
The detritus of old Horror/Thriller history can be found here.

AWARDS

CommunistVampires.com has bestowed unto feoamante.com their CommunistVampires award

PlanetDoom.net has bestowed unto feoamante.com their Cool Site Award

OCTOBER
These are archived news items, many of them outside of this website, so overtime, the links may not work.

OCT. 31

QUICK BITE
Len Maynard & Mick Sims have sold their second horror novel DEMONEYES to Don De Auria at Leisure Books.

Their first novel SHELTER was published July 2006.

Never read Maynard & Sims before? Check out a short story from Len & Mick, THE BECKONING STRANGER.

Hey Feo,

You told me earlier this year to let you know if I ever reopened The Cabinet of Dr. Casey. Well I'm letting you know that is back and online as of today, only now known as TheCabinet.com - which I think I told you that I was going to rename it if I did in fact relaunch.

I've done a bit of an overhaul, putting more emphasis on sections I neglected in the past. For example, the Horror in Music section now features a mash-up with the online music service Rhapsody to deliver a wide-range of horror music, both past and present. I've also opened up the site for users to add their own blogs and actively participate in the discussion of horror in all its forms.

FeoNote 2: So check out The Cabinet.com.

Deena Warner

I've launched many new websites this month including
Greg F. Gifune
Scrybe Press

Visit Deena Warner.

HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Today's birthday boy is an Actor/Writer/Director/Producer of everything Horror, Thriller, and/or Dark Fantasy in film making and only Horror, Thriller, and/or Dark Fantasy in film making - and like Sam Raimi, he is really good at doing it! Happy Birthday to
Peter Jackson (BAD TASTE, MEET THE FEEBLES, BRAIN DEAD, HEAVENLY CREATURES, THE FRIGHTENERS, THE LORD OF THE RINGS, KING KONG [2005]) who is 45.

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OCT. 30

Hertzan Chimera

It's been two years since the 'early retirement' of Mike Philbin's subversive writing persona Hertzan Chimera - but as they say, "You can't keep a good 'invented persona' down." This Halloween, under the banner Writing As Hertzan Chimera, Chimericana Books are releasing two never-before-seen full-length novels Twilight's Last Gleaming and The Hoo-Hoo Are Coming.

It's a tale of resurrection, it's a tale of fanaticism, it's a tale with a happy ending.

For fourteen years, Tombstone Award Winner Hertzan Chimera was the 'keyboard name' of Oxford, UK-based writer/artist Mike Philbin. Hertzan released a number of books through the alternative press,
SZMONHFU (novel Eraserhead Press),
ANIMAL INSTINCTS (illustrated collection, Double Dragon Press),
B.F.G.S. (collaborative collection, Massacre Publishing),
CHIM+HER and CHIM+HIM (collaborative collections, Cyber Pulp Press).
These works were the epitomy of extreme sci-fi horror fusion and genre rule breaking. Hertzan waged a private war against mediocrity in the short span of his writing career.

Then he was dead. Killed off by his creator.

Did the literary world mourn? Not at first, no. Most were relieved that this 'extreme loudmouth' had been laid to rest. But, you know what? People (readers) started to miss Hertzan's extreme worldview. Do you know something else? People (readers) started to suspect there were a couple of Hertzan Chimera novels still to be released. The buzz on the internet grew and grew.

They were right about those missing books.

This Halloween, the world will finally be able to experience those new Hertzan Chimera novels in 6 inch by 9 inch trade paperback format from Chimericana Books. In a move that mirrors Stephen King's writing of the Richard Bachman books, they will both be released under the Writing As Hertzan Chimera banner.

Feo Amante

First, be proud of your pumpkin
pumpkin-patch.com

Then take a knife to it!
CarvingPumpkins.com

Or switch the words around and get
Pumpkin-Carving.com

Or, if you are a beginner and you can't tell the blade from the handle, start off slow with
PumpkinCarving101.com

Once you've eviscerated your pumpkin friend, put a light in it's head
PumpkinLights.com

Continued at FeoAmante.net/PumpkinTao.

AFTER DARK: THEY'VE SOLD OUT
That's right. Tickets to the After Dark Horrorfest went on sale Friday morning, October 27, and sold out at every selling venue. Needless to say this is unprecedented; impressing even the top brass at Lionsgate. Then again, everything about this Horrorfest has been unprecedented.

If you missed out, fear not. The second batch of tickets go on sale tomorrow, Halloween Day. You'll have a second and possibly final opportunity to buy for the full weekend. If you miss out tomorrow, fear not! Heh!~ you can always "rent" something.

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OCT. 26

QUICK BITE
Some mad hysterical sickness from Writer / Director Ryan Schifrin (ABOMINABLE) and director Adam Green (HATCHET). This is their Halloween present to all of us: KING IN THE BOX.

ArieScope.com (Quicktime).

If the bandwidth is played out there, check the fuzzier version at YouTube.com.

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OCT. 25

QUICK BITE
Reigning Horror Movie Queen, Sarah Michelle Geller (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER [TV], SCREAM 2, SCOOBY DOO, SCOOBY DOO2, THE GRUDGE, THE GRUDGE 2), talks about her life and career as she looks at turning 30.

Sarah Michelle Gellar: 'I was always different'

For one weekend only, 8 Horror new films, described by marketeers and theater owners as too strong for American audiences, will hit 500 movie screens in 35 major cities throughout America. Normally such films would be sent direct to DVD. But After Dark films and Lionsgate films has such confidence in them, that they are getting their theatrical run for all of us hardcore Horror Thriller fans who want to see these movies the way they were meant to be seen: On a giant screen!

With a Fan Favorite encore presentation on November 20 and 21, the movies will star, among others, Michael Berryman (THE HILLS HAVE EYES, DEADLY BLESSING, THE DEVIL'S REJECTS) and Robert England (DEAD AND BURIED, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, BOA, 2001 MANIACS), with directors like Richard Brandes (OUT FOR BLOOD), Mike Mendez (THE CONVENT), and Takashi Shimizu (JU-ON, THE GRUDGE, THE GRUDGE 2).

Tickets will go on sale this Friday at Horrorfest.com, Fandango.com, Moviefone.com, and MovieTickets.com. Buying the weekend pass will give people admission to all 8 films plus a special 9th film to be announced. Also to be announced: Some cities will be having, as a bonus, special parties afterwards. Hats and T-Shirts and other goodies will also come with your weekend pass. Passes are limited of course, so it will be first come first serve in this first ever of it's kind, Horror movie event.

For more information go to HorrorfestOnline.

THE RETURN OF HALLOWEEN
Every Horror Thriller fan knows about John Carpenter's first Horror movie, HALLOWEEN. Yet very few of us have actually watched it in the dark of a big screen theater. That changes this year.

John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN will play October 30 & 31 in 30 different states, in 125 cities across the USA. The movies will play at 8pm local only. This HALLOWEEN is a digital version of the original and will play in the original format.

Plus, catch exclusive interviews with cast members of the original horror classic and the filmmakers of the next Halloween, including Rob Zombie - seen only at this two-night event.

Check out BigScreenBoxOffice for more.

HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
When it comes to Horror in modern cinema, it's hard to ignore the woman who has been the green light to so many writers and directors. Happy Birthday to
Producer Gale Ann Hurd (THE TERMINATOR, ALIENS, ALIEN NATION, TREMORS, TERMINATOR 2 , CAST A DEADLY SPELL, THE RELIC, VIRUS, HULK, TERMINATOR 3, AEON FLUX, and more!) who is 50 today.

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OCT. 24

LANCE HENRIKSON

This week's Podcast. Video episode 1 of our exclusive Lance Henrikson (THE TERMINATOR, ALIENS, NEAR DARK, ALIEN3, ALIEN VS PREDATOR) interview, by Kelly Parks.If you missed last week's audio podcast interview with James Gunn, writer of DAWN OF THE DEAD [2004], and writer/director of SLITHER (Out Today on DVD), it's still up as well. Listen as Gunn talks about, among other things, the African Hippopotamus. Did you know that hippos kill more people than sharks, lions, and crocodiles combined? That said, I think if you live outside of Africa and swim in the ocean, your chances of a hippo attack are greatly diminished. A LION attack on the other hand...!

iTunes registration is free and so is the subscription to our podcasts! So check it out at Feo Amante's PODCASTER.

Chieko13 (Online Submission)
Ysabellabrave (Online Submission)
Black Betty (chosen from LA Audition)
Dark Spider (chosen from NYC Audition)

Note: There was a tie between two (2) of the Live Auditions contestants. Both of these contestants have continued on to the next round of the competition.The runner's up will be announced soon (check back for more details).

Each of these finalists will be put through a series of stages and their progress will be video taped (updates will be posted on Youtube). These contestants have already made a live appearance at the Chainsaw Awards on the Fuse Network, airing Oct. 22. Next week they will travel to NYC to appear on Howard Stern and TRL.

Available for sale now, LISEY'S STORY is Stephen King's most personal and powerful novel yet - buy it, download the eBook, or listen to it unabridged on audio as narrated by Mare Winningham.

Hear an excerpt.

Jack Torrance. Paul Sheldon. Mike Noonan. No one understands the dark inner world of writers quite like Stephen King. Now in his latest novel, Lisey's Story, he once again explores the wellsprings of creativity, the temptations of madness, and the secret language of love that binds a deceased author to his widowed spouse.

Lisey Debusher Landon lost her husband, Scott, two years ago, after a twenty-five-year marriage of the most profound and sometimes frightening intimacy. An award-winning, bestselling novelist, Scott taught Lisey all about books and blood and bools. Later, she understood that there was a place Scott went - a place that both terrified and healed him, that could eat him alive or give him the ideas he needed in order to live. Now it's Lisey's turn to face Scott's demons. What begins as a widow's effort to sort through the papers of her celebrated husband becomes a nearly fatal journey into the darkness he inhabited.

If you haven’t checked out these two gruesome horror comic books, then it’s a great time to take a bite. The release of #1 was featured on
television, radio and in newspapers around the country and UK; including Kansas City Star, Mancow radio, and the front page of the St. Joseph Press newspaper. We’ve put up a website for those who’d like more info and preview of the pages. KingTractorFilms.com.

HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Composer Bill Wyman (PHENOMENA, DARIO ARGENTO'S WORLD OF HORROR, OPERA) is 70.
Writer Jon F. Merz (THE INVOKER, THE FIXER, THE DESTRUCTOR, THE SYNDICATE, DANGER-CLOSE) is 37.
Jon is also a MySpace friend. Check out his page at MySpace.com/JonFMerz.

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OCT. 23

AND

Science Fiction and Horror Thriller writer, Harlan Ellison (A BOY AND HIS DOG, TERMINATOR) was onhand this weekend in Los Angeles, at the Screenwriter's Expo 5 to award Ronald D. Moore (STAR TREK: First Contact) for his exceptional work on Battlestar Galactica - the new series.

WASSMOR

Director John Gulager (FEAST), who wasn't on the guest list, was spotted just hanging around enjoying the Expo with his wife.

INCUBUS, the story of six teenagers who break into what they think is an abandoned factory to seek shelter. They quickly find themselves trapped and realize too late that they are not alone. Suspended in a triple locked shatter proof clear cube attached to an observation room is a coma patient obviously being tested and experimented on. The bizarre sleeper and his horrific powers hold the key to their escape and ultimately their survival.

Watch the trailer Here.

Along with British writer David Mathew, I've co-written an 84,000 word novel called CREATURE FEATURE that is at a mass market publisher, sitting in the slush pile.My novels can be found in various libraries, at the State Library of Louisiana, some public libraries, some Louisiana college libraries such as LSU, SLU, Nicholls State, Michigan State library, New York Public Library,…and found online at Amazon.com, bn.com, etc, Powells Books, Borderlands, and numerous others.Happy "All Hallow's Eve"

Visit MF Korn at his Dandy Ghoul Asylum. It's a geocities site, so make sure your pop-up blockers are off.

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OCT. 20

QUICKBITES
From Rick Spears
Hellcity vol. 1 by Macon Blair and Joe Flood is out now. It was supposed to be out next week but it hit the shelves early on Wednesday so go grab a copy.Here is the synopsis:
Lurid pulp fiction straight from the mean streets of Hell's capital 'burg! Demonic femme fatales and damned detectives! Shadowy schemers and tormented dreamers! Blackmail, betrayal and hot-blooded murder...it's a powder keg town, baby, and one bad secret's gonna light the fuse!

AND

Mandi Fuccillo as KIMBERLY

From Scott Goldberg
I am happy to announce that the new short film, Kimberly will start shooting this weekend. The film touches base on many subjects that I feel I need to talk about, which is the supernatual, religion, war, death and our future as people living in today's society. This is unlike any other film I have done and it's definitely something from the heart and something that "speaks" to me, so I will keep you all updated on the film. The film is about a seventeen year old teenager named Kimberly who comes into contact with a ghost from 1942 as it tries to take her soul through temptation and fear. The short film features Mandi Fuccillo, Zack Junge and Chiko Mendez. More updates coming soon.

All seven films will be screened at the Santa Monica Public Library, with attending actors and filmmakers participating in a followup Q&A, beginning at 12 noon on December 9, 2006. Other screenings possible at other venues. Keep checking back!And now, here are the seven horror films that were the best of the entries we reviewed:

Continued at HollywoodInvestigator.com.

The film follows a group of soldiers on a recon mission on a desolate planet in a remote system:

In the year 2020, the Earth has become a barren rock from radioactive devastation. Protected by the Galactic Marine Infantry, (GMI), the remaining human race, struggling for survival on a distant star, is terrorized by the evil Ma’har alien race. While on a reconnaissance mission in the Caprini system, Sergeant Sharp and his GMI soldiers discover the Ma’hars hidden laboratory where they’ve been creating a horrific breed of terrorists. The aliens’ new bio-weapons are reproductions of mankind’s mythical creatures - zombies, werewolves, vampires…

(FeoNote: Okay, well this sounds insanely cool for so many reasons. First of all, I really want to applaud the movie makers for having the unparralled optimism of believing that humanity will have Faster Than Light spaceships within the next decade! And the fact that we will have the technology to try and have a go at life while living on a STAR! Not a planet, but living on the surface of a freaking Star! Naturally, humanity is struggling for survival on said star, but stars aren't by their nature, conducive to human survival. What's more, according to the plotline, in 14 years we'll soon be living on a Star, and attacked by the Ma'Har!)

The street date for the USA release of RECON 2020: The Caprini Massacre is December 5 , 2006. The film is part of the Maverick Platinum collection.

A sequel, RECON 2022: The Mezzo Incident is currently in post- production.

Feo Sez: The Trailer looks pretty cool!
Check out their website.

I shouldn't get my hopes up, but I'm kinda excited about this!

HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAY TO -
Mainly because of his work in the recent Peter Jackson films, does this actor break into a Heavy Horror Thriller career direction for the past ten years. So Happy Birthday to
Actor Viggo Mortensen (THE CREW, CRIMSON TIDE, THE PROPHECY, A PERFECT MURDER, PSYCHO [1998], LORD OF THE RINGS [all], A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE) is 47.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Viggo will be making his second movie with David "Dammit, I'm not a Horror movie director" Cronenberg (SHIVERS, RABID, SCANNERS, VIDEODROME, THE FLY, NIGHTBREED, eXistenZ) which starts filming in November. It's a Thriller titled, EASTERN PROMISES.

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OCT. 19

Kelly Parks

I was sort of half-assed about the whole idea of writing screenplays for a few years but HOWARD'S CROSS is the first one I finished. Finishing a screenplay is a writing milestone because now you know you can do it.

So what gave me such a fire for HOWARD'S CROSS? It was different, or maybe I was. I was really enjoying writing for the first time. Each day I was eager to write to see what happened next because, although I had a general outline in mind, I was really making it up as I went along.

I wrote it in the summer of 2005. I immediately put it up on InkTip.com (a site where screenplays are posted for production companies to see). This was a mistake because the script really wasn't ready. It got looked at and passed by the few companies that were interested in looking at all and you don't get a second chance to make a first impression.

The first real turning point came in late 2005. I'd entered a few contests but script contests take 3 to 6 months so I'd pretty much forgotten about the ones I entered when I got an email from the Feeding Frenzy Screenplay Contest.

Howard's Cross finished in the top 10 - the only horror screenplay to do so. One of the things that came with that was a professional script analysis from AMLC Productions. It was from that that I found out how many things were wrong with my script. I was making tons of rookie mistakes that are embarrassing to think about now.

There was a big one in the first paragraph on page 1. The movie begins with the sheriff parked by the side of the road waiting for speeders. In the description I said something like, "But the locals know the sheriff likes this spot and don't speed here." Well how the hell do you show that on screen? That's fine for a novel but in a screenplay it's called "non-cinematic writing".

The information I got from that script analysis really helped me make Howard's Cross more polished and professional. I also got some help from the script reviewers on Zoetrope.com. Their comments are useful for finding plot holes and such, but most of them are rookies like me so you have to take what they say with a grain of salt.

I entered some more contests and did well in a couple. In late spring of this year I found out that Fade In Magazine had announced the quarter-finalists for their Fade In Awards Screenplay Competition, and Howard's Cross had made it.

That was nice, but there were like 400 other quarter-finalists so I didn't get too excited yet. But I did begin checking their website every few hours and eventually (as the deadline approached) every few minutes. I'm obsessive that way. I found out I'd made the semi-finals and felt pretty good about it. The outcome was I finished in the top 10 in the horror category. A nice credit, which is the main thing about contests. There are tens of thousands of scripts floating around out there and people who actually want to buy a script are few and far between. They spend most of their time reading bad scripts and getting a generally bad attitude toward screenwriters.

So you have to do something to stand out, especially if, like me, you don't have an uncle at Paramount or something similar, contests are the ideal way to do that.

KELLY PARKS WON THE HORROR & SCI-FI FILM FESTIVAL AWARD FOR BEST SCREENPLAY, WHICH WILL BE GIVEN OUT LATER THIS MONTH.

So what are the lessons learned here?

First, and most important: you can't please everybody. I think Howard's Cross is a pretty good script and I've gotten some excellent feedback on it. But in some contests it didn't even make it past the quarter finals and some of the reviewer comments on Zoetrope.com (and TriggerStreet.com) were pretty scathing. You can't let stuff like that bother you.

Second: On the other hand, you can't let your love for what you wrote put you in denial about its faults. If you don't get any good feedback you have to consider the possibility that screenwriting is not for you. There's always Barber College.

Third: There are a lot of useful books and seminars and services out there to help you learn how to be a good screenwriter. But some people use those things as excuses not to write yet because they just need to read one more book or get to one more class. Read a bit, study some, and then write. You learn more by doing than by reading about doing.

Fourth: Just because you do well in contests and get good feedback from people doesn't mean someone will make a movie from your script. You're chances are slightly better but still pretty long. Being a screenwriter is like trying to get a job in a field with a 99% unemployment rate. Good luck.

Right now I'm feverishly checking FilmMakers.com. Howard's Cross just made the semi-finals of their screenplay contest so I'm waiting for news on the finals. I'm not especially hopeful because this contest is all genres together which usually means drama wins. Hollywood is still a bit snooty when it comes to horror and sci-fi but you never know.

Visit and talk to kelly at MySpace.com/LunarWindFarm.

Feo Amante

Even happier than Thanksgiving or Christmas because you're not expected to invite those members of the family you find undesirable. Halloween is fun for the family that you love best. And if you are away from family or one of those undesirable members? There's a nightclub or even a regular ol' bar doing something for Halloween. Unlike Christmas, no one ever has to feel alone on Halloween night! That's just one of many things that is so great about it!

Now I'm about to lay some serious Halloween sites on you. Anthing I could find that had "Halloween" in the domain name, I'm putting here! Some are fun, some are cool, many of them are selling something but you never know what you might find when you have the world "Halloween" as a url.

And before I begin let me say that I totally appreciate the fact that some people who, due to their upbringing or own adult decisions don't like or want Halloween: Who feel that it clashes, perhaps with insideous, malevolent evil intent, against their beliefs or faith. Since I'm sensitive to your concerns, please don't bother sending me any email critisizing this list on those grounds. You see, I'm not interested in the shallow opinion of any pin-headed dipshit who wants to suck all the fun out of life.

Here we go!

Continued at FeoAmante.Net/Hallow_ween.

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OCT. 18

HAPPY HORROR THRILLER BIRTHDAYS TO -
Writer/Director David Twohy (WARLOCK, THE FUGITIVE, WARLOCK: The Armageddon, TERMINAL VELOCITY, THE ARRIVAL, PITCH BLACK, IMPOSTER, BELOW, THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK) is 51.

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OCT. 17

Kenneth is a good acquaintance and a MySpace friend. Visit him at MySpace.com/KennethHall.

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OCT. 16

Matthew Warner

From Alien Experience
ALIEN VS PREDATOR 2
Finally some ALIEN vs. PREDATOR 2 cast news - Steven Pasquale of Rescue Me, and Reiko Aylesworth of 24 have been cast as Dallas Howard and Kelly O'Brien respectively. In other AVP 2 news, Brian Tyler (DARKNESS FALLS, CONSTANTINE) is on as soundtrack composer.

Also, Fox has finally taken an official position of some kind on ALIEN vs. PREDATOR 2, Chairman of Fox Studios, Tom Rothman, told IESB.net in an interview that the film would be very hardcore, very violent, very restricted! Sweet. The words many fans have been waiting to hear since August 2004!

Get the full details at AlienExperience.com.

From Sarcophogai
MURFREESBORO, TENNESSEE, WATCH OUT!
Wicked Dreams Entertainment in association with Allied Horror present a special theatrical screening of their new horror film THE DEEPENING, featuring Gunnar "Leatherface" Hansen (TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE), Debbie Rochon (AMERICAN NIGHTMARE), Jim O.Rear (VAMPYRE TALES), Debbie D (HAYRIDE SLAUGHTER), and Ted Alderman (DEAD LAST) on October 22nd at 11:00pm in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

THE DEEPENING follows a troubled New York fireman who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder after working the tragic terrorist events of 9-11. In search of a fresh start, he relocates to a small fire department in a quiet rural town where he seeks treatment from Doctor Chambers (Gunnar Hansen) for his recurring nightmares. The bad dreams, however, do not subside. Instead, they turn into a terrifying reality as the population of the town begins to sharply decrease.

The movie, written by Jim O'Rear from a story idea by Ted Alderman and based on actual events, delivers the gritty camera style and exploitative feel of the late 1970s / early 1980's slasher flicks. "We're not going for art here," states O'Rear (FeoNote: Wha-at? You cast Gunnar Hansen and Debbie Rochon and yet ... you're NOT going for "art"?). "This is an outrageous and ugly horror story that just happens to be a fun and entertaining exploitative escape opportunity for the audience."

Filmed in Tennessee, THE DEEPENING also features David Polk (COP & ½), Maria Kil (VIPER), and Jesse Zimmerman (THE LAST CASTLE).

If you are in the middle Tennessee area, stop in to see the feature and meet the cast and crew. Tickets are $5.00 each and can be purchased at the box office of:
The Premiere 6
810 NW Broad Street, Murfreesboro, TN

More info can be found at:
TheDeepeningMovie.com.

And you can check out the trailer here:
vids.myspace.com/.

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